OOH !! What a palaver !!! :o)

August is beginning to be a month that I dread. It seems that it's becoming a month where everything goes wrong. This August, the *everything happens in threes* saying became, for us, the *everything happens in MULTIPLES of threes* !! :o)

First of all, Shaun's mobility scooter broke down when we went to Fowlmead (see last blog post) & it turned out that a new throttle cable was needed. Unfortunately, the mobility shop were sent the wrong part & consequently, the scooter was in the shop for a fortnight. A few days later, on Tuesday afternoon, we went out for a walk & it just wasn't right - it was SOOO slow, it couldn't keep up with me walking along the road. So, Shaun phoned the shop & they arranged to pick it up on the Friday afternoon & have a look at it. When they bought it back, Shaun tried it out & it conked out halfway across the road. Thankfully, the mobility blokes were still here & helped get him back up to the house. They took the scooter away again, but as it was the Friday before Bank Holiday, we were, yet again, scooter-less. It was returned the following week having had some electrical connectors twiddled with :o) So far, he's used it once, just to go up the road & back. We've yet to put it in the car & take it somewhere, only to be disappointed that it's conked out, so WATCH THIS SPACE !!! :o)

Anyway, to cut a long story short - yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn !!! - the other things that have gone wrong are as follows:

2 - the ceiling light/fan pull came *orf in me 'and*. That was a palaver, I can tell you. Because Shaun is unable to stand or go up steps etc., muggins here had to unscrew & lower said light fitting from the ceiling & then, following instructions/ORDERS from himself, had to redo the light pull with electrical connectors - or something - & then screw it all back together on the ceiling.  Note how well up I am on the technical terms, please :o)

3 - my iron broke. Water started coming out of the handle & the foot plate. As I'm sure you can imagine, I was HEARTBROKEN. Completely & utterly gutted. My beautiful iron . . . sob :o(
I hate ironing. Can you tell ? :o) Anyway, I had to buy another one. Sob :o(

4 - the microwave suddenly stopped in the middle of doing some jacket potatoes. Ugh. Luckily, it turned out to be nothing more than a blown fuse.

5 - my beautiful stripy broom handle broke in half. Now, THAT I really WAS sad about !! Not because I couldn't sweep the floor, but because it was my beautiful STRIPY broom !!!  I now have a silver handle attched to a stripy broom head. If I'm not careful, I'll end up like Trigger from *Only Fools & Horses* & will have the same broom for 10 years - only it'll have had 3 new heads & 2 new handles !! :o)

6 - my kitchen scales decided to play silly wotsits. I weighed something out & it showed the correct weight, so I then added something & it was suddenly only half of what it had been. (Wish it worked like that for ME on the bathroom scales !!) After that happened 2 or 3 times, I decided it might be best to buy some new scales.

7 - the hoover lost the will to live :o(    One minute it was fine'n'dandy, the next it was squealing like it had sucked up a cat playing bagpies !! AND - when I switched it off, it refused to stand upright. The handle just kept throwing itself to the floor. I swear, if it could talk, it would have said something along the lines of *it's no good - I can't go on !!* & then just fluttered its eyelids & died. Which it pretty much did, really. So, now I have a new hoover. I've given it a good talking to & told it, in no uncertain terms, that if it decides to die on me, it has to do it quietly & not make a mess on the floor :o)

8 - Shaun's sewing machine decided to follow the hoover & threw itself to its death by falling off the table. Because he can't use his legs, he gave his electric sewing machine to our daughter & he had an old fashioned Singer that has a turny handle. The metal bar that makes the needle go up & down snapped off inside the machine & unfortunately, couldn't be fixed. That machine was over 100 years old & had a lovely stitch. So I was told - what do I know ? Sewing & I are NOT friends & never have been, not since the day I was 13 & in sewing class at school & somehow managed to sew my school skirt to the skirt I was making. My teacher told me NEVER to darken her classroom doorstep again. So I didn't.

And finally - the worst thing of all:

9 - MY COMPUTER DIED !!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!
Just like the hoover, one day it was fine, the next it wasn't. I'd used it on the Monday evening, but on Tuesday morning, it was as dead a a dead thing can possibly be. If not deadererer.  I phoned PC World insurance thingy & was given a reference number & told to take the pc into the shop. Luckily, I have insurance on the pc that included data recovery, so along with the pc, I had to give them an external hard drive to save anything they could. It was away in the pc hospital for 2 weeks & it turned out that it had suffered from hard drive failure & power supply failure. My poor pooter had DIED :o(  Just like that. No indication that anything was wrong, no please-may-I-be-excused-I'm-not-feeling-very-well. Nothing. Just here one minute & gone the next. Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh. However, the boffins at PC World DID manage to save all my photos, files & what have you. HOORAY !!!

So, here I am, 10 days after picking my pc back up, STILL trying to get it to how I had it & not getting anywhere very fast. It's been a busy couple weeks, what with medical apointments, but we had a lovely morning out yesterday, so the next blog will be about that. With pics. Nothing boring like this one, I promise :o)

Frustrations, friends, fun & new experiences :o)

This morning, Shaun had yet another hospital appointment, but as it was an early one at Deal, we had arranged to meet friends at Fowlmead Country Park at Sholden, between Sandwich & Deal. It's a 200 acre park, regenerated from the shale spoil tip at what used to be Betteshanger Colliery.

Betteshanger was the last of Kent's four colliery's to close & from 1989 to 2000, it was left to nature. In 2000, SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) bought the land & set about turning it into a country park, complete with a 2 mile cycling track. The park opened to the public in 2007 & soon proved a popular place to visit.

The cycling track is used by professionals as well as the general public & you can also go running, mountain biking,  collect fossils & take part in orienteering, geocaching, archery, walking, &  bushcraft . There is a BMX area for kids to practice their skills & a play area for children aged 4-14. It costs £1.50 to park all day & there is a cafe that serves food from 10am.

In the first 2 or 3 years, we went quite a few times. There's always something different to see in each season & as we've not been able to go for a couple of years, I was really looking forward to it.

The day dawned bright & sunny & as I'd put the mobility scooter in the car last night, all I had to do was get Shaun to the car & put the wheelchair on the backseat. We set off & got to the hospital at about 8:45am. We made our way to the clinic & only waited for 5 minutes before being called in. We were out by 9am, 10 minutes before the actual appointment time !! How's that for service, eh ? :o)

A flurry of texts was sent - me to Val, Val to Kris & back again - & we arranged to meet in the car park at Fowlmead.

We pulled up & I set to, getting the scooter out of the back of the car. When it was all put together, Shaun turned the key & it just beep-beep-beeped & wouldn't move !!! Now, it was fine when he drove it down to the car last night & it was fine when he used it a few days ago. This exact same thing happened in April when we took grandson 1a to Dover Castle :o(  We had it looked at by the mobility shop we use & they replaced a bush or something (technical stuff & I are NOT friends !!!) & it was fine when we took grandson 1a to Walmer Castle on 2 July. However, it seems that there must be an electrical problem or something's been shaken loose on the drive from Ramsgate to Deal & now, we have to wait for the mobility people to pick it up & have a look on Friday afternoon.

To say I was disappointed is probably the understatement of the year. The scooter wasn't the ONLY thing that beep-beep-beeped, let me tell you !! It seems whenever we try to go somewhere or do something - which, given Shaun's health problems isn't that often - something goes wrong & stops us from having fun :o(

By now, Val had arrived & suggested we have a cuppa while we wait for Kris, Steve & their grandsons,  & then decide what to do instead of walking around the park. I got Shaun into his wheelchair & off we went to the cafe. While we were there, Shaun spotted a notice about disabled bikes for hire at the park, so once Kris & Steve arrived, we went to see what it was all about.

WELL !!! They have bikes that are pedalled BY HAND !!! The day was saved !!! Val sorted out the hiring details while Shaun had a practice to see if he could use the bike. His legs had to be strapped on to stop them doing their own thing - which, as he can't control them, they do frequently !! :o) - & as I had to lift his leg up over the crossbar, everyone else held the bike still so he didn't fall flat on his face :o) When he was settled, off we set, on our grand adventure :o)

 Seems there's NOWHERE safe from hoodies these days !!! :o))

(Hi, Kris !!)

 A view of Fowlmead lake. This lake is just BEE-OO-TEE-FUL. You can't see much of it at this time of year because of the greenery, but in the winter, you can really see how big it is.

 Looking across a field of cows towards Sandwich.

 Why did the bull rush ? Because he saw the cow slip !! :o) Ah, the oldies are the goodies :o)

 Wildflowers & weeds :o)

 The little bridge over the pond.

 This photo reminds me of the Eva Cassidy song *Fields of Gold*.

 The lookout seen from the bigger bridge. All the green on the right of this photo is Fowlmead lake :o)

 Shaun on his chariot :o)  Even with his legs strapped in, his right foot still managed to slip forward. It just will not do what it's supposed to.

 Beautiful teasels :o) VERY sharp & spiky, as I found to my cost when I brushed past one :o(

 Val & I have christened this the *Teddy bear shaving bush*  - yes, bush, not brush -  plant !! It is the softest thing I think I've ever felt in my life.

 We patted this little plant over & over again - it was SO soft & springy, just like a comfy cushion :o)

 A beaten track off the beaten track :o) 

 I talk to the trees, but they don't listen to me !! :o)

Talking of trees, while we were wandering round, Val pointed at a really gnarled & multi-branched tree & said  *I wonder how old that tree is*. So, being the nice, kind girl I am I went & asked it !! :o) I don't think it understood English though, cos it didn't answer me :o) 

The winner of the bike race - Shaun, talking to his coach/trainer, Steve & the runners up, Kris & Steve's grandsons :o)

After all the kerfuffle with the scooter, we had a lovely morning & it didn't rain till we got to the car :o)

No matter what's happening in your life, a couple of hours spent in the company of good friends is the ideal pick-me-up, so THANK YOU, Val, Kris & Steve, for a fab morning :o)

Oh, & by the way: FLY ME TO THE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON !!!!!

I can caterwaul - or should that be PAT-erwaul - to my hearts' delight here. There are no unsuspecting cyclists or walkers to fall in the lake when they hear me sing !! :o))

Ohhhhhhhh . . . I do like to be beside the seasiiiiiiide !!!

Memories of  long, hot, sunny summers . . . & then there was 2012 :o)

Although I was *made in Birmingham* &, like all good things from Birmingham, have the stamp on my bum to prove it, I'm a Ramsgate girl through & through. I'm sure if I was cut in half, you'd find my name stamped in the middle, just like a decent bit of seaside rock :o) I couldn't imagine living anywhere else & even though my brothers, sister & parents have all moved away, I'm still here, held by invisible roots. If I was being fanciful, I'd go as far as to say that my ancestors have grabbed my ankles & are refusing to let go !! :o)

I don't know what it is about this poor, sad, run down old seaside town, but I love it here. There is history everywhere, you only have to open your eyes & look  properly :o)

When I was a kid, for a few summers my Nan rented one of the chalets along the front. She & my Mum both worked at Rovex - now Hornby Hobbies - & on their summer break, we'd all pootle off to the beach for the day. We had to walk down, but at the end of the day, when we were all worn out from the fresh sea air, the swimming & the general running about that kids do, we'd come up the cliff in the lift. Back then, they had an attendant who wore a hat, a jacket & carried a leather pouch with a ticket machine, rather like that of a bus conductor. I remember it cost 2p for adults & 1p for children :o) Sometimes, we caught a bus home, other times we walked & after a day at the beach, because we lived in Anns Road,  it was a LONG walk to the other side of town :o)

Back then, the summer holidays seemed to last forever. Later, as a Mum to an energetic daughter, the summer holidays seemed to last FOREVER but now, they whizz by in a flash & before you know it, it's Christmas once again.

Back then, it seemed that we really did have long sunny days from June to September. The beaches & parks were full, Pleasurama was busy & the Marina swimming pool, where my brothers, sister & I all learned swim, was a heaving mass of bodies, splashing about in the water, while Mums & grandma's looked on, smiling & waving but probably wishing they were somewhere else instead !! :o)

One of my biggest memories is of my Mum filling a 3 litre plastic squash bottle with orange squash & freezing it overnight. When we went off to the beach or the Marina, she'd pack sandwiches & crisps & then take this big bottle out of the freezer, put it in the bag with the sandwiches & off we'd all go. The bottle defrosted during the day & we had lovely cold squash to drink all day long :o)

The summer of 1976 was, at the time, the hottest one on record. One day, we all trooped off to the beach as usual, but unfortunately, even though I had sun cream on, I got badly burnt. I left home as pale as self raising flour, but when I returned, I was like a sunburnt tomato. I remember having a cool shower, being smothered in cream & being given one of my Dad's cotton pyjama jackets to wear in bed, but I was in agony for days. To this day, I have a triangle shaped redness where my neck meets my chest :o) If I remember correctly, it's that shape because part way through the day, I put a V necked shirt on over my cossie :o)

As a teenager, I didn't spend a lot of time on the beach. I wasn't really beach body shaped :o) I was first in line when they handed out slim figures & beautiful faces, but as I held the door open for everyone else, I ended up with  bad eyes, a face full of freckles, buck teeth, hair that even now looks as though it wants to jump off my head & make it's home elsewhere & a body like the Michelin man. The teeth are fine now, but the rest remains the same :o)

Shaun's older brother was a hairdresser, but back in the late 70s & early 80s, he'd spend the summer as one of the Bingo callers at Pleasurama. At the end of the season, he'd go back to hairdressing.  Like many youngsters in the years before us & in the years to come, Shaun & I would often walk along the front, but if we dared venture into Pleasurama, we had to walk past the Bingo bit where my brother in law would do his best to embarrass the life out of us by saying things like *Hello, young lovers* & encourage his punters/customers to turn round & look at us. When we got engaged in August 1981, he even got his customers to clap as we walked through. Anyone who knows me well will know that there would have been a red sky over Ramsgate when that happened, because I can blush for England & hate, hate HATE being the centre of attention. My brother in law, being 8 years older than Shaun, seemed to enjoy pulling the big brother stunt at every opportunity & being young & naive, we never thought to challenge him, we just blushed & smiled our way through !! :o) If he tried it now, it'd be a different story !! :o)

When my daughter was small, we only spent a few days on the beach in the summer. She's lucky in that, like her Dad, she goes a bit red & then a lovely golden brown. I still burn as easily as I did when I was a kid, so we mostly went out on day trips to castles & museums, or she had her paddling pool in the garden. Mind you, if you asked her, she'd say she was deprived because she never had a sand pit !! :o) 

Fast forward to 2012 :o)

The past 6 summers have been pretty grotty, and so far, this year has really been bad. We can only hope that the weather forecasters are right when they say summer is on its way this week. Most of the schools have now closed for the holidays so hopefully, the kids will have a nice break. If not, then I suppose we can just hope for an Indian Summer when they all go back to school :o)

In the meantime, here are some photos taken yesterday. A typical 21st century British summer at the seaside !! :o)

 Not quite sure what this thing is, but I think it's something to do with the wind farm. I might be wrong, I probably am, but it's a pretty big boat/floaty thing & it looked pretty impressive sailing out !! :o)

 The skies had opened & we were on the way home from town, getting wetter by the minute. My boots decided to spring a leak, so I didn't walk home, I squelched home !! :o) If they'd done it in town, I could have bought some new ones, but no, they waited till we were more than half way home :o)

 Now I'm switiching to *grumpy not-so-old-woman* mode :o) When I was a kid & a young adult, weeds like this were never seen !! The council would have cleared them all, sprayed them or pulled them out. Not these days though. No doubt they'll say they don't have the resources or the man power, but quite frankly, with so many people unemployed in Thanet, I don't think it would hurt if those on Jobseeker's Allowance worked one day a week keeping the paths, beaches & parks clean & tidy. I'm not saying they should do it every day, but one day a week wouldn't kill them & quite frankly, I think it'd do them good & it'd do the town good, too.

 The back of Pugin's Grange. We've been trying to get there for the past few years, ever since the Landmark Trust *did it up*, but things always seem to happen to stop us - Shaun going into hospital, torrential rain, unexpected visitors etc. Maybe we'll get there in September, on their next open days. Fingers crossed :o)

 Fancy a swim ? You couldn't possibly get any wetter :o)

Ah !! A Ramsgate landmark !!! The famous blocked drain !!  I mentioned the drains in the *I've said it before . . *  blog :o) Some things never change & it's obvious that the council still haven't invested in a *sucky-up machine* !! :o))

My grandad was one of the Ramsgate Corporation gardeners & as kids, we'd often see him tending the flower beds along the front & in the parks. My great grandad was also a park gardener & I honestly believe that if they came back now, they'd be saddened to see the state the town is in.

And on that cheerful note, I shall bid you all a fond farewell & go & get this Saturday started :o)

Mass murder & cleaning up afterwards !! :o)

I've gradually been losing the will to live these past few weeks :o( 

The rain has brought nothing but slugs & snails, weeds & knee high grass. The slugs & snails have been like the Armada crossing my garden path to get to the flowers & plants - late one evening last week, I counted 78 snails coming out from under the ivy, across the path, marching on towards their goal. Gawd knows how many others there were further up the garden in my veggies & elsewhere. I didn't have the heart to look.

The weeds have more than doubled in size, amount & strength. I nearly strangled my stupid self doing battle with some bind weed that had really taken root amongst my Aquilegia & Hemerocallis.  As I grabbed a handful to pull out, it not only decided to fight back, it had a secret weapon. A great big fat, ugly slimy slug hidden in its leaves, that decided - the ONE TIME I wasn't wearing my gloves - to look me square in the eye & slither on to my hand !!!! SCREEEEEEEEAM !!!!!

 I rushed straight indoors, scrubbed my hands with antibacterial hand wash 5 times - yes, FIVE times - & then had a shower as well !! A bit OTT ? Maybe. But once you've had a slug touch you, you never feel clean again. Or maybe that's just me !! :o) Shudder !!!

My veggies have either been eaten by snails, drowned or gone to seed overnight :o( I'll be lucky to salvage anything except raspberries. THEY have the survival skills of a . . . . . a . . . a great survivilling survivor !! :o)  Not only are they bursting out of the fruit cage, they are tunnelling under the paths & popping up in flower beds & the veg plot as though they were escaping from Colditz :o)

  I'm seriously beginning to think that my garden is being used by aliens, cleverly disguised as raspberries, weeds, slugs & snails, as a training camp for taking over the world.  I keep expecting to look out the kitchen door & see slugs abseiling down the conservatory windows & snails trying to fit Army issue backpacks on top of their shells :o) In the background will be raspberries in tanks & weeds in full combat gear, marching ever onwards, cutting down any lovely flowers or veggies in their way !!

This rain really has a lot to answer for.

Although the sun is shining today - well, it WAS up to half an hour ago - I still can't cut the grass because the ground is wet & squelchy under foot.  You can bet your bottom dollar/pound/euro (insert currency of your choice)  that by the time it's dried out enough, before I have chance to get the lawnmower out, the rain will decide to come back & have another go.

BUT !! *What about the mass murder ??* I hear you cry !!  Well, hold on to your hats. Confession time !!

No, I haven't shot Shaun - those of you who know us, know how often I say it'd be easier just to shoot him - I've been on a snail & slug killing spree !! Oh yes, I will not let those!"**%$?*!  get my garden goodies without a fight. They may have won the battle, but they haven't won the war. Yet . . .  .

I can't use slug pellets because Grandsons 1a & 1b are often here, playing in the garden. We also have foxes & hedgehogs, as well as loads of birds & I don't really know how pellets would affect the wildlife. Eggshells & sharp sand haven't worked & as we don't drink, we haven't tried the beer trick - waste of good beer anyway, I think :o) - so I'm afraid I've been left with no alternative than to use salt. Yep, plain old table salt, the cheaper the better :o) I sprinkle it on the paths & on any slug or snail that tries to escape my evil clutches !!  They only sizzle for a minute . . . .

The next morning, the clearing up begins.  Bodies lie scattered across the battlefield  as far as the eye can see. Some have almost made it home, just to be cut down on the final leg, others have scarcely left the safety of the ivy before it's *Goodbye cruel world !!*

But do I care ? Do I eckerslike !!!! I spent a lot of time early in the year preparing the garden, sowing seeds, planting out, weeding, watering, feeding & tending everything. And I did NOT do it for the benefit of all the flippin' slugs & snails !! What good do they actually do in the garden ? I mean, if they ate the weeds, then fair enough, but do they ? No. They are in cahoots with the weeds & all they want to do is hide amongst them & pounce on any poor, unsuspecting gardener who happens to cross their path. Well, they've got a fight now, cos I am armed with salt & I ain't afraid to scatter it !! So there !! :o)

And on that note, here are a few pics of some flowers that HAVE managed to survive the rain, the wind & the slugs & snails :o)

This orange lily looked lovely against the brown fence. It was a real splash of sunshine :o)

Hollyhocks that smack me in the face every time I come out of the greenhouse :o)

Sweet smelling pink carnations :o)

Green plums :o) Not very good as eaters, but fab in a crumble with lashings of thick custard :o)

A beautiful, delicate poppy, one of my favourite flowers.

Part of my poor, overgrown, wet, soggy, neglected garden. The daisies are out in force this year, taking over the grass.

Even though the garden is somewhat overgrown, this is one of my favourite photos. I love the poppies against the marguerites, it just looks all meadowland-ish to me :o)

Let's hope the weather forecasters are right & that summer will be here next week. It seems to have been a very long  & very wet Spring :o)

Friends, Sunny Sundays & Long Walks

The weather was kind to us this weekend - it was lovely to see the sun again, but it was much lovelier to see good friends, to sit, eat, chat & laugh. A few hours in good company can lift even the most depressed spirit & the old saying *laughter is the best medicine* really is true.

On Saturday evening, we played charades. Yep, the old fashioned parlour game :o) In these days of hand held games consoles & techie type stuff that I have no idea about, we actually played charades. And it was FUN :o) Well. I certainly had fun & judging by the laughter of everyone else & the wild guesses that led to howls of laughter & screams of *NOOO, that's not it !!* I hope everyone else did too.

Sunday dawned bright & breezy, so off we set for a lovely long walk from my house to Pegwell Nature Reserve.

This is the view across the field to Pegwell Bay, from the bridlepath that I've always known as Dead Donkey 'Ole :o)

Cliffs End is on the right, Pegwell Bay straight ahead. The ground was a bit shaky & hard going for Shaun on his mobility scooter, but walking it was fine as long as you kept any eye on where you were going.

Looking across the bay toward Pfizers & Richborough. There were loads of kite surfers down on the beach - it was perfect weather for them, sunny & windy :o)

From here, it's a L O N G way down to the beach, so you can imagine how high these kites were to appear above the cliff top like this.

Here we are at the Viking ship *Hugin*, a replica of the Gokstad. The Hugin was built in Denmark & was sailed across the sea in 1949 by 53 Danes.

It was a gift from the Danish government to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the arrival of Hengist & Horsa, who landed at Ebbsfleet, not far from Pegwell, in 449. The boat actually arrived at Viking Bay in Broadstairs, but was put on display here at Pegwell.

Hengist's daughter, Rowena, married King Vortigen of Kent.

The Nature Reserve is owned by Kent County Council, Kent Wildlife Trust, The National Trust, the RSPB & Thanet District Council. Kent Wildlife Trust, which was founded in 1958, manages the site. Until the 1970s, the area was actually a landfill site. I can remember walking along the Sandwich Road in October 1981 when they were turning the area into the nature reserve. How do I remember it so clearly ? It was the day after my now brother in law got married :o) 

The site is home to many varities of plants & animals. It has mudflats, saltmarshes, sand dunes, coastal scrubland, cliffs & beach. Kent has more than a third of Britain's coastal chalk & the cliffs at Pegwell comprise of caves, tunnels & pillars. Bees & wasps build nests & burrows in the soft rock & Turnstone flocks roost & feed there.

The views are beautiful. We didn't get to see much in the way of birds, although we did hear them singing their little hearts out in the nesting area & the trees.

At different times of the year, you see different things. The site has over 300 varieties of moth, rare orchids & sea grass. Birds fly thousands of miles to spend the winter here.

 Towards the end of our walk - before turning round & heading home again - we came across the Highland cows. Beautiful eyes but ferocious looking horns !! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to have to try to out run one of them !! :o)

You lookin' at me ???

We walked as far as the gate that leads onto the Sandwich Road & turned round to start walking home again, stopping off at the *Dog Walker's Rest* for a well earned drink. Two teas, a diet coke & a coffee came to the grand total of £2:90 - fantastic value for money & a decent coffee it was, too :o) You never know,  we may well sample the bacon rolls or a burger next time. If they taste as good as they smell, we'll be onto a winner :o)

All in all, we walked over 6 miles. It was perfect walking weather, warm & sunny with a cooling wind. The only thing is, today I look like a Belisha Beacon because my face got sun burnt !! :o)

 

 

Today, we're back to rain :o( BUT - that doesn't matter, we had a fantabulous weekend & if it hadn't been sunny, we'd still have had a fantabulous weekend because we spent it with good friends :o)

Fings wot I 'ave made recently :o)

I don't usually speak like that, you know :o) I may be a common, working class girl - & PROUD of it - but I do know 'ow to speak proper, the way wot me muvva taught me :o)

BUT !!! I digress. (See ? I DO know posh words !!)

It's been a busy week or two here, what with trying to get the decorating finished, medical appointments for his nibs, a special little someone's 2nd birthday & trying to avoid the rain, but I've managed to make a few cards & knit a few bits. So, for your delectation & delight (Heh !! MORE posh words !!) not to mention boredom, here are a few of them.

A 30th birthday card for someone who's a bit of a punk rocker. I didn't have a stamp of someone with a mohican, so this had to do :o)

 Gorgeous grandson 1b was 2 & he is besotted with Thomas the Tank Engine, so this was a must birthday card for him. He loved it & kept saying *Thomas, Thomas* over & over as he looked at it :o)

 Some of my best friends have had birthdays recently. This one is for Karen, one of the most dedicated nurses the NHS could wish for. Undervalued & unappreciated, in my opinion, except by those of us who love her.

 This card was for Peter, who loves steam trains. He's very kind, has a great sense of humour & like his wife, Liz, is just one of the best. When you need a friend in time of trouble, you couldn't ask for anyone better  :o)

 I made this card for 'imself, his nibs, the other 'alf, whatever you want to call him :o) When he's awake, he answers to *Shaun*, but as he's asleep more than he is awake, I call him whatever I like & he knows nothing about it !! :o) Mean ? Cruel ? Yep !!! That's me !! ;o)

 This card is for Terri - I hope she doesn't read my blog before Friday, otherwise she'll see her card here first !! :o) Terri is another fab friend. She's quiet & thoughtful, she's a listener & doesn't judge people. Terri is someone you feel comfortable with from the very first time you meet her.

This card was for Val, who, over the past year, has become a much loved & valued friend. She's been Shaun's personal Occupational Therapist, teaching him to make lace, something he always wanted to do, but being a big, burly bloke, used to worry about what people would think. She's encouraged & helped him every step of the way & gives up most of her Wednesday mornings to come over to us. Being mostly in a wheelchair, there aren't many things Shaun can do without help,  but he's made everything he needs to make lace & he's spent many an evening spangling his bobbins !! :o)

We've both been blessed with some wonderful friends & although we don't say it often, we appreciate everyone of them.

Now, onto a bit of knitting :o)

 SOCKS !!! As I was knitting the first sock, I thought the colours reminded me of Fruit Pastilles. So, I just had to buy a packet & - purely in the name of research, you understand - opened them up & put them with the partly knitted sock to see if I was right. Well, they could be twins, really, couldn't they ? :o)

Here are the finished socks - not a very good pic, really & quite why my *PJK :o)* watermark thingy is that big is anyone's guess !!  :o)

Anyway, these socks are for my daughter for Christmas & I've called them *Sweet Feet Fruit Pastille Socks* :o) She knows I've knitted them for her, but hopefully, by the time Christmas gets here, she'll have forgotten. If she hasn't, then I hope she'll have perfected  her *Oh-what-a-surprise-they're-just-what-I-wanted-however-did-you-know ?* speech !! :o)

Disclaimer: No fruit pastilles were intentionally hurt in the making of these socks. They gave themselves willingly !!! :o)

Have a great Wednesday, whatever you do :o)

I've said it before . . .

. . . and I'll say it again:

Why, oh why, don't the council and/or the water companies invest in a *sucky-up* machine & clear all the blocked drains ? Surely if they were cleared of mud, weeds & other debris, the rain would get to where it should & we wouldn't have hosepipe bans & drought orders. This past couple of months, when we've had so much rain, some of the roads have looked like rivers because the rain has gushed over the blocked drains & not gone down them as it should. 

As much as the farmers & gardeners need the rain, they also need sun & warmth. The few good & extremely hot days we've had, haven't really done much for my veggies - they're either parched or drowned. If I get anything decent out of my veg patch this year, it'll be a miracle :o(

This pic was taken just last Saturday at the end of my road & is a prime example of the blocked drains.

Now, I'm not saying ALL the drains in the town are blocked like this, but I've seen a fair few this year - & in past years - that are. One day last summer, when we were out for a walk, me on Shanks's, 'imself in his chariot, we came across a blocked drain that had a tree growing out of it !! It was well past my shoulders in height, so must have been there for quite some time.

(Memo to self:   Self - try to remember where it was & check to see if it's still there.)

 I'm also not saying that investing in a *sucky up* machine is the be all & end all to the problem, but wouldn't it at least help ?

Bring back the old corporation dust cart, I say !!! :o) The ones like my great grandad used to work on at night, cleaning the streets of the day's grime, so that they could do it all over again the following night !! :o)

Other towns & cities manage to have nice, clean streets to walk along, so why can't we ? Maybe we just have a bigger proportion of litter louts than other places. Who knows ?

I do have my own ideas as to how the streets could be kept clean, but I'm sure if I voice them, I'll be given a lecture on civil liberties & then thrown in a dungeon somewhere :o)  No doubt the dungeon will have a grille open to the road which will then fill with mud & have weeds growing out of it, but, looking on the bright side,  if the rain can't get through, at least I won't drown !! :o))